Fence-stay



(No Model.)

11.1111111111. FENCE STAY. 1110. 546,301. 1311111111611 S8111. 11,1895.

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UNiTEn STATES Parent Ormea@ IJEANDER CLARK, OF GREENVILLE, OHIO.

FENCE-STAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 546,301, dated September 1'7, 1895.

Application 4filed March 22, 1895. Serial No. 542,819. (No model.) Y

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

4Be it known that I, LEANDER CLARK, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Greenville, in the county of Darke and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Fence-Stay, of which the following is a specification.

M yinventing relates to fence-stays, and has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive device adapted to be applied with facility to an intermediate point of adjacent fence-runners, to provide simple means for securing the stay to the runners without depending solely upon tie-wires and without bending the stay around the runners, and furthermore to provide a stay so constructed as to prevent injury to stock coming in contact with the fence.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure lis a view of a fence provided with stays embodying my invention, the stays being of sufficient length to intersect all of the runners. Fig. 2 is a view of a fence provided with stays embodying my invention, the stays being of short lengths to connect two or more of the runners and staggered to connect the runners in different vertical planes. Fig. 3 is a detail View in perspective of the stay, showing a runnerin place in one pair of openings therein. Fig. i is a plan view of the blank from which the stay is formed.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The improved stay l is preferably constructed of sheet metal bent approximately upon its longitudinal center, whereby it is angular or V-shaped in cross-section, and stamped in one or both of the wings 2 thereof are openings 3 for the reception of the runners i of a fence.

In order to facilitate the application of the stay to the runners of a fence and avoid the necessity of passing the extremities of the runners through the openings in the wings, or, in other words, to provide for placing the stay upon an intermediate point of the runners, the wings between the openings 3 and the edges are cut or slotted, as shown at 5, and the ears 6, which are thus provided between the wire-openings and the edges of the wings, are turned back, as shown in detail in Fig. 3, to form a throat equal or approximately equal in width with the wire-openings. After the stay has been applied to the runner these ears are bent back into the plane of the wings of the stay to inclose the runner and thus prevent accidental displacement. The movement of the stay longitudinally upon the runners is prevented by means of tie-wires 7, which are coiled at their extremities around the runners at opposite sides of the stay and are passed over the angle of the stay, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 2.

In order to secure the wings of the stay in the relative positions above described or at an angle approximately of ninety degrees to each other, and at the same time arrange the upper end of the stay to prevent injury to stock in coming in contact with the fence, I preferably slit the upper end of the stay in the line of its angle, as shown at 8 lin Fig. 4, to form ears 9, and fold these ears one upon the other in parallel planes. This stiftens the upper end of the stay and forms a flat surface, whereby the laceration of stock is avoided.

From the drawings it will be seen that the stay may be made in full lengths to intersect all of the runners of a fence, as in Fig. l, or in short lengths to intersect two or three only of the runners, as in Fig. 2, and inthe latter case the stays are preferably staggered to occupy positions in different vertical planes.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A fence stay having a blank of sheet metal bent upon its longitudinal center to form angularly disposed duplicate wings which are extended at their upper ends to provide ears folded upon each other in 'parallel planes to hold the wings in the desired relative positions, the wings being further provided near their free edges with openings for the reception of fence runners, substantially as specified.

ICO

2. A fence stay having a blank struck from sheet metal and provided with openings 3, slots 4 communicating with said openings and extending to the edges of the blank to form ears 6, and a, slit S at one end in the line ofthe longitudinal center of the blank to form oontiguous ears 9 which are adapted to be folded in parallel planes when the blank is bent upon its longitudinal center to provide a V-shaped cross-sectional construction, substantially as ro specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aixed my signature in the presence ot' two witnesses.

LEANDER CLARK.

Witnesses:

T. C. MAHER, ORA D. STOCKER. 

